Apparatus and methods for maintaining an equal length for sideburns

ABSTRACT

A sideburn guard device for maintaining a substantially equal length for each sideburn of a user. The device comprising a support member that may be mounted on the head of a user. The support member may engage with two housings, which may adjusted up and down so as to cover an optimum amount of each sideburn. At their ends, the housings may have sideburn covering members. The housings may also have windows capable of indicating the various lengths that the sideburn covering members may be adjusted to cover the sideburns. The support member may have setting indictors visible from the front end of the sideburn guard device.

This application includes material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyright rights whatsoever.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to the field of trimming facial hair, and in particular to maintaining an equal length for sideburns.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of embodiments as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which reference characters refer to the same parts throughout the various views. The drawings are not necessarily to scale, emphasis instead being placed upon illustrating principles of the invention.

FIG. 1 shows an example of the prospective view of the sideburn guard device, in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 2 shows an example of the prospective view of the sideburn guard device in an expended position, in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows an example of the prospective view of the components of the sideburn guard device in a disengaged position, in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 4 shows an example of the front view of the sideburn guard device, in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 5 shows an example of the side view of the inner component of the sideburn guard device, in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 6 shows an example of the side view of the sideburn guard device, in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention.

FIG. 7 shows an example of the prospective view of a means for visual inspection from the front of the sideburn guard device, in accordance with certain embodiments of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Reference will now be made in detail to the embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In an embodiment, an objective of the presently disclosed device and methods includes maintaining equal length sideburns. As shown in FIG. 1, a sideburn guard device 1 may consist of an arc-shaped support member 2 and two housing side members 3. The device 1 is intended to be mounted upon a user's head (not shown).

As shown in FIG. 2, the support member 2 is adapted to slide in to and out of openings in the housing 3. Rod-like end portions 4 of the support member 2 may be adapted to be inserted into cavities 5 within the housing 3. The far ends of the two housing may comprise coverings 6 for the sideburns. These coverings 6 may cover the portion of the sideburns that are not intended to be trimmed away. Accordingly, the sideburn coverings 6 help guide clippers or razors during the face-hair trimming procedure.

FIG. 3 shows the support member 2 disengaged from the two housings 3. As such, the rod portions 4 of the support member 2 are completely exposed. FIG. 4 shows that when the support member 2 and the two housings 3 are engaged, the shape total shape of sideburn guard device 1 corresponds to the shape of a user's head.

In an embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 5-6, a group 7 of markings 8 are included on the rod portion 4 of the support member 2. These markings 8 may be numerical or alphabetical. When the rod portion 4 is inserted within the cavity of the housing 3, the markings 8 may be visible through a window 9 in the housing 3.

The sideburn guard device 1 may be adjusted such that one or both of the housings 3 may traverse the rod portion 4 of the support member 2. Accordingly, the height of sideburn coverings 6 may adjust in relation to the length of the sideburns. Consequentially, a user may determine the length of sideburn covered by the sideburn coverings 6, and the amount of sideburn left exposed to be trimmed.

Once an optimum length is selected by a user, that length may be indicated by the selected marking 8 shown through the window 9 of each housing 3. This setting may be reused the next time the user needs to trim his sideburns. Further, the setting marked for one housing 3 may match the setting marked for the other housing 3.

A means for visual inspection from the front view of the sideburn guard device is illustrated in the embodiment depicted in FIG. 7. The rod portion 4 of the support member 2 includes setting indictors 10 which may be viewed by a user while trimming his sideburns in the mirror. The indictors 10 may be selectively displayed above the two housings 3 as the sideburn guard device 1 is adjusted and the rod portion 4 of the support member 2 traverses the housings 3. These indictors 10 may be dots, numerical markings, or alphabetical markings.

When viewed in a mirror, the indictors 10 may be counted by a user in order to confirm the setting for the length of sideburn covered by the sideburn coverings 6. Consequentially, a user may position the sideburn guard device 1 while the device 1 is on the user's head. A user may confirm that the sideburn coverings 6 are lined up by matching the number of indictors 10 above each of the housings 3. A user can determine if one housing 3 is adjusted because the number of indictors 10 on top of that housing 3 is changed. The user may also be notified of an adjustment by a clicking sound produced when a housing 3 is traversed along the rod portion 4. Such clicking can result from engagement between spring arm (not shown) within housings 3 and detents 11.

Although some of the drawings illustrate a number of operations in a particular order, operations which are not order dependent may be reordered and other operations may be combined or broken out. While some reordering or other groupings are specifically mentioned, others will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art and so do not present an exhaustive list of alternatives. Moreover, it should be recognized that the stages could be implemented in hardware, firmware, software or any combination thereof.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to a embodiment thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. 

1. A sideburn guard device, comprising: a support member adapted to be mounted on and dismounted from a portion of the head of the user, the support member having two opposite end portions, each of the opposite end portions having a plurality of detents and being associated with a plurality of indicators; two housings, each having a distal and proximal end, the housings adjustably engaged with the support member, wherein opposite end portions of the support member slide through the proximal end and in to and out of interior portions of the two housings, whereby the two housings traverse to and from the support member; each housing including a spring arm adapted to engage and disengage the plurality of detents as the opposite end portions of the support member slide through the proximal end and in to and out of the interior portions of the two housings; each housing obscuring a plurality of indicators when the opposite end portions of the support members are fully inserted within the interior portions of the two housings, and exposing the plurality of indicators, seriatum, as the housing is slidably moved away from the fully inserted position; and each of the two housings further comprising a sideburn cover at its distal end, the two sideburn covers being substantially equally positioned on the sideburn guard device when an equal number of the plurality of indicators is visible from in front of a user when the user has the sideburn device mounted his head.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein each housing makes an audible clicking sound as the opposite end portions of the support member slide through the proximal end and in to and out of the interior portions of the two housings.
 3. A sideburn guard device, comprising: a support member adapted to be mounted on and dismounted from a portion of the head of the user, the support member having two opposite end portions, each of the opposite end portions having a plurality of detents and being associated with a plurality of indicators; two housings, each having a distal and proximal end, the housings adjustably engaged with the support member, wherein opposite end portions of the support member slide through the proximal end and in to and out of interior portions of the two housings, whereby the two housings traverse to and from the support member, each housing including a spring arm adapted to engage and disengage the plurality of detents as the opposite end portions of the support member slide through the proximal end and in to and out of the interior portions of the two housings; each housing revealing at least one specific indicator of a plurality of indicators when the opposite end portions of the support members are fully inserted within the interior portions of the two housings, and exposing at least one other specific indicator of the plurality of indicators, as the housing is slidably moved away from the fully inserted position; and each of the two housings further comprising a sideburn cover at its distal end, the two sideburn covers being substantially equally positioned on the sideburn guard device when an equal number of the plurality of indicators is visible from in front of a user when the user has the sideburn device mounted his head.
 4. The device of claim 3, further comprising: widows on exterior surfaces of the two housings, wherein partial portions of the support member are visible via the window.
 5. The device of claim 4, further comprising: a first widow on an exterior surface of the first housing, wherein the first rod is visible via the first window; and a second widow on an exterior surface of the second housing, wherein the second rod is visible via the second window.
 6. The device of claim 5, further comprising: indicators on the partial portions of the support member, wherein a subgroup of the indicators are visible via the window.
 7. The device of claim 1, wherein the indicators are numerical markings.
 8. The device of claim 1, wherein the indicators are colored markings.
 9. The device of claim 1, wherein the support member is made of polyacetal material.
 10. The device of claim 1, wherein the housings are made of polyacetal material.
 11. The device of claim 3, wherein the indicators are numerical markings.
 12. The device of claim 3, wherein the indicators are colored markings.
 13. The device of claim 3, wherein the support member is made of polyacetal material.
 14. The device of claim 3, wherein the housings are made of polyacetal material.
 15. A method for maintaining sideburns, comprising the steps of: mounting an sideburn guard device on the head of a user, wherein the sideburn guard device comprises a support member adjustably engaged with a first housing and second housing, the first and second housings each having sideburn covering members, wherein the position of each such housing with respect to the support member is associated with an indicator; determining an optimum length for each sideburn of the user, wherein the optimum length for each sideburn is approximately equal; adjusting the first housing so that the sideburn covering member covers the optimum length of the sideburn; viewing in a mirror the indicator associated with the position of the first housing with respect to the support member; adjusting the second housing using the mirror such that the indicator associated with the position of the second housing with respect to the support member shows that the first housing and the second housing are in the same relative position with respect to the support member; and cutting the exposed portion of the sideburns.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein adjustment of each housing produces a sound notification. 